WBJE Annual Report
November 5, 2018
ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT SEAN SHORE Prior to providing a brief report and year in review of the activities of the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education, I would like to firstly express my thanks to our individual board members, administration, teachers, and all sta for making this another incredibly successful year for Gray Academy of Jewish Education. There are many accomplishments that we will highlight at the AGM and I want to be the first one to say how proud I am of the organization and all those who are a part of it, especially our children and families.
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The board has continued to work very closely on evaluating our continued operations to ensure that – as trustees of this precious asset – we continue to operate in a manner that is not only consistent with our strategic mission and vision, but also in keeping with generally accepted principals of governance, finance, accountability and prudence.
As mentioned last year, we continue to look to the future — as all boards should — to understand not simply where we are now, but where we need to be three, five, seven, or 10 years into the future. Part of the board’s role is to guide the school into the future in a sustainable, efficient, and cautious manner recognizing our obligations to the community in being the sole provider of a JK to Grade 12 independent Jewish day school education in Manitoba.
Part of this exercise continues to be managing our resources in a financially prudent manner. This is particularly the case for our bursary assistance. We view this as an asset of the community with which we are charged to distribute in a fair and equitable manner based on the policies established by the board. Over the past several years and continuing into the future, the school continues to refine its approach to bursary disbursement to ensure that those with the greatest need are able to access it while at the same time also ensuring that those families who do not need bursary assistance are still offered an affordable parental contribution.
“Thank you all for your ongoing support and for the trust you have placed in all of us." -SEAN SHORE
In addition to operating in this way, we are also evaluating what we do, how we do it, and, importantly, where we do it. Understanding the answers to these questions will also allow us to consider, create, and deploy new and innovative programs that are targeted to specifically help our families and children and at the same time provide educational programming in line with our mission and vision. An excellent example of this are the supervision programs which have supported working families, allowing their children to participate in programming that meet their needs on in-service days and after school hours in a supervised environment. We continue to examine all opportunities to better deliver to our mission — which is providing a Jewish education.
Enrollment-wise, we continue to improve year-over-year in numerous metrics which we track continually, one of which is our retention rate. In 2015 we set out to strategically improve retention and I am very pleased that our current retention rate is 94%. This increase of 7% over the last two
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years is an excellent barometer of the health of the school which is in a state of continuous improvement.
As always, none of this would be possible without the support of our stakeholders, including our parents and the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg. We also thank the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba and the Province of Manitoba as a funded independent school.
Thank you all for your ongoing support and thank you as well for the trust you have placed in all of us by allowing us to educate your children.
MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL LORI BINDER 2017-18 marked a new decade for Gray Academy. The school welcomed students, staff, and educational leaders from across Canada and around the globe through three very special events. The International Independent Schools Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC) brought over 200 students from around the world to Gray Academy and Balmoral Hall School. The Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) Heads and Chairs Conference (co-hosted by Gray), saw representation from over 90 schools from coast to coast and gave our students a platform to share their views on education with the individuals leading today’s CAIS schools. Finally, the CAIS Varsity Girls’ Basketball Tournament gave our students the opportunity to share our warm hospitality and Raiders spirit with female athletes from across the country.
Our Admissions Department launched both the student ambassador and parent ambassador programs in the fall of 2017. In keeping with our strategic goal of focusing on retention and recruitment, these programs have enhanced our school community and are an integral part of our admissions program. The increase in student retention by 5.1% from the previous year alone, speaks volumes to the efforts and achievements by our faculty, staff, and leadership team in implementing the WBJE strategic plan and continuously strengthening our school community. The late-pick up Student Ambassadors supervision program and holiday program (in partnership with spreading the word Congregations Etz Chayim & Shaarey Zedek) were met with positive about an upcoming parent feedback that led to expanded offerings for the 2018-19 school open house. year.
I would like to thank our parent community for inspiring a new and invigorated Gray Academy Parent Association (GAPA). With a new executive, under the leadership of Mira Narvey, GAPA brought our parent community together to publish the cookbook "B'tayavon 2.0.” They also recognized our staff on multiple occasions and had ongoing fundraisers that directly impacted student field trips and programs. I look forward to GAPA's continued presence and influence on our school community.
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Creating a culture of innovation and enhanced modern learning provides the foundation for our students to be successful both today and in the future. We are grateful to GAPA for supporting the school’s move to cloud-based computing with a large contribution (from funds raised by the former PAC) towards the purchase of Chromebooks and tablets for use in the classroom.
This enabled the re-purposing of two former computer labs. The Wellness Studio opened in the first-floor computer lab as a multi-use space and a new high school common area (student lounge) was created from our thin-client lab.
Members of the Gray Academy faculty.
Thank you to the members of the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education (WBJE), under the leadership of Sean Shore, for their tireless work ensuring the strength and permanence of our school today and into the future. Your guidance allows us to focus on providing the best education possible for our students.
High school students take part in a yoga class in the new Wellness Studio.
It is a very exciting time to be a part of the Gray Academy family. I am grateful to each member of our faculty, staff, and leadership team for the amazing energy you bring to our students each day, both inside and outside of the classroom. The magic that takes place in a given school year is remarkable and it is made possible by the love and care you bring to our school community. Thank you also to our parents for choosing Gray Academy for your children and for your trust and partnership with us that forms the incredible foundation of our school.
Gray Academy is grateful to the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg for their continued support of Jewish day school education in Winnipeg. With this substantial support, the WBJE is able to offer a needs-based bursary assistance program. This ensures that a Gray Academy education is accessible to all.
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WBJE FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT Submitted by Diane Shindleman, Treasurer
During the 2017-18 school year, the Finance Committee continued to work towards financial sustainability for Gray Academy of Jewish Education.
We are pleased with our student retention from the past year to the current year and the small steps taken towards financial sustainability. We continue to operate with a lean budget, focusing our spending in areas that make Gray Academy a great school and support our families’ needs.
The WBJE piloted bursary assistance for JK students for the first time in our history and introduced supervision to support families in the form of late pick up and Jewish holiday programming. Both projects have been successful for Gray Academy and for our school community.
Revenues Other Revenue 1% Donations 3%
Parental Contributions 42%
Jewish Foundation of Manitoba Distributions and Endowment Fund 1% Jewish Federation Allocation 16%
Provincial Funding 36%
As part of the requirements as a CAIS school, the strategic financial plan will continue to be a focus for the coming year to ensure sustainability. This along with the results from the Affordability Committee will form the basis for a large part of the strategic financial plan. The WBJE awaits a new licence agreement with the AJCC as it will impact Gray Academy’s threeto five-year strategic financial plan.
Expenses Asper Jewish Community Campus License Fee 12%
Other Expenses 3%
IT Services and Support 2%
Kaufman Silverberg Resource Centre 2%
Membership, Acreditattion and Professional Development 1%
Salaries and Benefits 80%
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We would like to acknowledge with gratitude the support we receive from the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg. The allocation we receive is integral to our ability to offer needs-based bursary assistance to families. We are also grateful for the grants we have received from the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. We are pleased to once again have received sponsorship from the Asper Foundation to support the Grade 9 trip to Washington. This is an impactful and unforgettable experience for our students. The Asper Foundation continues to sponsor our debating program through the Asper Cup debate tournament and we are grateful for this. We also thank the many individuals for donations that were received over the year. They are listed in this annual report.
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The WBJE financial statements are audited by Booke and Partners and are attached.
The Statement of Financial Activities: The School’s revenue was about on par with 2017 with the main sources of revenue being the parental contributions, the provincial grants, and the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg allocation.
Balance Sheet: Net assets for the year were $15,548 representing the balance in the equipment fund.
JEWISH FOUNDATION OF MANITOBA
Gray Academy received a number of grants from the Jewish
Foundation of Manitoba (JFM) in 2017-18. The grants have
enormous impact on the school and we appreciate the support
of our many new initiatives and needs. Some of the projects funded
by the JFM:
Caring for our working families: developing a program for days that school is not in session
Educating our Leaders: CAIS National Leaders Conference
Experiential learning in science
Improving our spaces: wellness studio infrastructure
Knowledge is Power: Surveying our Constituents
Live stream and promotional video equipment
New acquisitions for the Kaufman Silverberg Library
Online courses in Judaic and general studies
Online enrollment infrastructure and website re-design
Recess enrichment
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2017-18 WBJE BOARD MEMBERS (Attendance at board meetings in parenthesis)
Executive: Sean Shore, President (10/10) Sean is currently a lawyer at Canadian Compliance & Regulatory Law. He holds law degrees from the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law (LL.B., 1993) and the London School of Economics (LL.M., 1994) and has been practicing law in Winnipeg since 1995. He has two daughters that attend Gray Academy in Grades 7 and 10.
Evan Roitenberg (’84), Vice President ( 7/10) Evan is a trial and appellate lawyer and practices with Gindin, Wolson, Simmonds, Roitenberg. He is a proud alum (class of '84) of Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate, a founding school of Gray Academy of Jewish Education. He has two daughters, one in Grade 9 at Gray Academy and one in Grade 11.
Bruce Caplan, Secretary (8/10) Bruce Caplan is a partner with BDO Canada LLP and is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Licensed Insolvency Trustee. Bruce is a past president of Jewish Child & Family Service. He is married to Sheri and they have two daughters attending Gray Academy in Grades 7 and 9.
Diane Shindleman, Treasurer (10/10) Diane Shindleman is a CPA, CGA and is a manager of Corporate Finance. Diane has been a volunteer on the finance committee and a board member since 2011. Diane and her husband, Sandy, have one daughter, Annie, who is in Grade 9 at Gray Academy.
Board Members: Jen Dimerman, Gray Academy Parent Association (GAPA) Rep (9/10) Jennifer received her Bachelor of Social Work from University of Manitoba in 1997. For the past two years she has co-coordinated the GAPA elementary hot lunch program. Jennifer is married to Ian ('88) and they have two sons attending Gray Academy in Grades 5 and 8. Viviana Goldenberg (8/10) Viviana graduated as B.Sc. in Information Systems Engineering and B.Sc. in System Analysis and has a Social Psychology Diploma. She received a Certificate in Project Management in 2008. Viviana and her husband Marcelo came to Canada from Argentina in 2003 and have two daughters, who graduated from Gray.
Evgeny Gotfrid (’13) ( 9/10) Evgeny is an entrepreneur and a student pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce Degree at the I.H. Asper School of Business, with the intent to major in Finance and Entrepreneurship. He is an active member of the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization at the U of M. Born in Ukraine and raised in Israel, Evgeny came to Canada in Grade 4, where he attended Gray Academy until graduation.
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Richard Hechter (7/10) Richard Hechter is an Associate Professor of Science Education in the Faculty of Education, Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning at the University of Manitoba. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of North Dakota where he studied the science teaching self-efficacy of preservice elementary science teachers. Before joining the academy, Richard was a high school physics and science teacher for 11 years at the U of W Collegiate.
Tara Kozlowich (’94) (7/10) Tara earned her Bachelor of Commerce degree with a double major in Marketing and Management from the U of M, Asper Business School. After living in Toronto, Tara and her husband, Paul, returned to Winnipeg. Their two daughters are in Grade 5 and Grade 2 at Gray Academy.
Laura Kravetsky-Chisick (’99) (6/10) Laura is an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba in the Department of Internal Medicine. She practices as an internist on the medical wards at the Health Sciences Centre as well as an obstetric internist in her clinic. She graduated from Gray Academy in 1999 and then went on to receive her Masters of Science at the University of British Columbia and her MD at the University of Manitoba. Laura and her husband Josh have two children, one in Grade 1 at Gray and the other will be enrolling in JK in 2019-20.
Cindy Lazar (’87) (9/10) Cindy has been a labour lawyer for over 20 years, currently serves on many boards and committees and is heavily involved in volunteerism for the Jewish community. Cindy and her husband, Joel, have two children attending Gray Academy, one in Grade 6, and one in Grade 3.
Matthew Leibl (’03) COR Rep (5/10) Matthew Leibl is a proud graduate of Gray Academy. He's been involved in synagogue life since he was 19 years old, when he started working at Congregation Shaarey Zedek as a Torah reader and Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor. He studied journalism at the University of King's College in Halifax and worked for six years as a radio host with TSN 1290 before deciding to become a rabbi. His passions in life are sports (especially baseball), music (especially live music), travel, Seinfeld, and, of course, his wife, Heather Wadsworth.
Marla Levene (’93) (8/10) Marla received her Law degree from the U of M in 1998, and is now a partner at MLT Aikins LLP. Marla has been a member of the board since 2011. She is married to Adam and they have two children attending Gray Academy in Grades 5 and 8. Tracy Kasner-Greaves (’94), Past President Lori Binder (’91), Head of School and CEO Carlos Benesdra, CPA, CMA, Chief Financial Officer Ron van der Hooft, WJSTA Vice President Thank you to Viviana Goldenberg for her six years of dedication and service to the WBJE. 2017-18 was her final year on the board. Welcome to Josh Weinstein (’89) and Bryan Borzykowski (’98) who joined the board for the 2018-19 school year.
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STRATEGIC PLAN IN ACTION 2015-2019: 46 MONTHS IN REVIEW Strategic Plan Introduction As Gray Academy of Jewish Education celebrated its 18th year, the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education developed its next strategic plan. The process of creating this document began at the WBJE board retreat (December 2013) and continued until it was formalized and passed at the December 2014 board meeting. With the help of a professional facilitator, the board had the opportunity to begin formulating a strategic direction to ensure that Gray Academy continues to be a leader in Jewish Day School education in North America, thereby impacting the future of each student and the Winnipeg Jewish community.
The plan included the input of all key stakeholders including parents, sta, students and alumni. Feedback from the most recent Measuring Success Parent Survey (70% response rate) and the most recent CAIS Accreditation Visiting Committee Report helped inform the goals of the strategic plan.
46 Months in Review The WBJE has made significant progress in the implementation of its strategic plan. These accomplishments are outlined in the following pages. They have resulted in new leadership, the strengthening of operations and management, and, most importantly, advancements in educational goals as a CAIS accredited independent Jewish day school. WBJE Focus to 2020 will highlight the key objectives in a two year extension of the strategic plan. Next Steps At its May 2018 Board Meeting, the WBJE decided on the following next steps:
2018-2019: Development of a two-year extension to the current strategic plan to be called WBJE Focus to 2020 with an emphasis on key objectives within each strategic goal
2019-2020: Continued execution of WBJE Focus to 2020 2020-2021: Development of new Strategic Plan following the 2020 Gray Academy CAIS accreditation review
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Create a Culture of Innovation and Enhanced 21st Century Learning
Advancing educational innovation on the strong foundation of Gray Academy’s mission and vision ensures that every student is prepared to excel in our rapidly changing global society. Ensure and maintain an innovative administrative leadership team fluent in 21st century educational practice.
Map the curriculum to highlight our value added curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular programs to allow for future development in the areas of innovation and enhanced 21st century learning and the strengthening of cross-curricular connections.
Ensure a cutting-edge approach to technology integration throughout JK-12.
Support the creation of a new Professional Growth Model for teachers that helps to inspire innovation and furthers 21st century teaching.
Support further professional development in the areas of 21st century competencies and learning strategies as well as assessment and evaluation.
WBJE Focus to 2020: Ensure the consistency of educational outcomes throughout the curriculum and the consistency of assessment and evaluation of students.
WBJE Focus to 2020: Explore innovative approaches to Jewish learning that insures relevancy, inspiration and engagement for all students within the context of the Judaic studies program.
Strengthening Community Perception Encouraging the greater community of students, parents, and community members to closely engage with the inner workings of the school, enabling them to fully recognize the long reaching and continuing impact of a Gray Academy education on the future of our community and its individual members. Develop relationships with major organizations and synagogues to positively position Gray Academy and its role in the continued growth of our community.
Enhance the ambassadorship role of the WBJE and the capacity of the PAC (now GAPA).
Engage our stakeholders by fostering a climate of inclusion, transparency, and input.
Celebrate the presence and participation of our students in community organizations, community programs, which highlights the Jewish values inherent in a student’s experience at Gray Academy.
Create opportunities to engage families in our programming during the school day.
WBJE Focus to 2020: Maximize the effect of our marketing and communication strategies to highlight the positive impact of Gray Academy on individual students and alumni. Ensure that Gray Academy highlights the academic program in both general studies and Judaic studies.
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Admissions and Retention Building a comprehensive Admissions program that focuses both on retention and recruitment ensures the continued growth of a vibrant and diverse school community. Gray Academy is a pluralistic Jewish community day school that celebrates the diversity of its student population. The school strives to be an inclusive community and values the opportunity to help develop and educate children from JK to Grade 12. Create a “Director of Admissions” position with the support of professional development through PEJE’s “ATIDEINU” 18-month program.
Develop an admissions strategy that tracks enrollment data, focuses on new families, retention, and handles exits with care.
Create a culture of student retention amongst staff.
Build strong ambassador programs (parent, alumni, and student).
Communicate the value for parental contribution.
Foster a sense of Gray Academy school pride and school spirit amongst staff, students, parents, and alumni.
WBJE Focus to 2020: Create an outreach program that engages families representing a diversity of backgrounds in the Jewish community to highlight Gray Academy as a positive school option.
Financial Sustainability and Community Support
Securing the financial stability of Gray Academy safeguards its perpetual longevity as a bedrock institution founded on over a century of community supported Jewish education in Winnipeg. Dialogue with the leadership from the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg and the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba re: financial sustainability and the future of the Jewish day school in our community.
Educate parents about the comprehensive expenses that determine the cost of a Gray Academy education to ensure transparency.
Review the campus license fee agreement prior to the 2017 expiry date with an eye to financial sustainability.
WBJE Focus to 2020: Evaluate all aspects of the current parental contribution model including the assessment process.
WBJE Focus to 2020: Seek out alternative revenue streams.
WBJE Focus to 2020: Create a four-to-five-year financial strategic plan that includes the growth of a healthy reserve fund and the strengthening of the Gray Academy endowment fund.
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EDUCATION WITH INTEGRITY: THE 2017-18 AD CAMPAIGN For the 2017-18 school year, Gray Academy focused on what makes our school special. Our unique value proposition is how we teach our students to be good people. We teach them values that they will use for the rest of their lives. The campaign centred around three values that each had a corresponding poster and video. The posters were hung from the ceiling down “Main Street” of the Asper Jewish Community Campus as well as on a digital billboard on Kenaston Blvd. The ad campaign was widely shared on social media. The campaign received great feedback and exposure.
Rafaela Listens with Compassion.
Nathan Believes All Voices Are Equal.
Education with Integrity
Education with Integrity
VISIT OUR OFFICE | DOWN THE HALL facebook.com/grayacademy |
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@grayacademy |
@mygrayacademy
BOOK YOUR TOUR | 204-477-7489 facebook.com/grayacademy |
@grayacademy |
@mygrayacademy
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To see the videos from this ad campaign, visit our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/ grayacademy

Rachel Cares about Her Community.
Education with Integrity
LEARN MORE | GRAYACADEMY.CA facebook.com/grayacademy |
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@grayacademy |
@mygrayacademy
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Thank you to the individuals and organizations who have helped support Gray Academy in the 2017-18 school year in addition to the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg’s annual allocation as well as grants and funds from the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
New Grad Scholarship 2018
Katz Family Memorial Scholarship - awarded to one student with high academic achievement in math and/or business to support the continued post-secondary study of business or commerce.
Donations:
Asper Foundation Funds to support Gray Academy’s Asper Cup Debating Tournament
Funds to support the 2018 Grade 9 Washington trip
Combined Jewish Appeal Designated Gifts Richard Morantz and Sheree Walder-Morantz in support of EAL program
Gail Asper and Michael Paterson
Gray Academy Parent Association Funds to support acquisition of Chromebooks as part of enhancements to technology infrastructure
Jewish Foundation of Manitoba Immediate needs funding to support families requiring additional bursary support
Anonymous fund
The Israel & Babs Asper Charitable Fund – Gail Asper
The Israel & Babs Asper Charitable Fund – Ruth and David Asper
Orah & Soody Kleiman Educational Fund
Manitoba Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity Fund
Other Donations:
BERVIN FundMatch Program: matching funds for reaching the goal of increasing the Gray Academy of Jewish Education endowment by $54,000 of new contributions ($18,000 Received)
Funds to support participation in the Global Jewish Education Summit
Grosberg Fund in support of enhancements to technology infrastructure and resources for mental health awareness
Benji Leibl Fund in support of special education resources
Gwendolyn & Joseph Secter Fund in support of the WBJE Strategic Review
Funds to support the Youth in Philanthropy Program
New funds created in the Gray Academy of Jewish Education endowment
Class of 2018
Class of 1993
Thank you to all of the WBJE board members and individuals from the community for contributions to the Gray Academy Endowment fund (housed at the JFM) during the 2017-2018 school year.
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Pincus Fund – In support of participation in the Global Jewish Education Summit
Donations $25,000+
WCPD Foundation – Diane and Sandy Shindleman
$10,000
RBC Wealth Management, Winestock Wealth Management Group
$5000-$9,999
Stephen Rosenfield
Switzer Family: funds towards Gray Academy’s Yiddish program and Yiddish contest
$1,000-$4,999
Mendl and Isabel Malkin
Adam & Marla Levene
Lori & John Stroich
Mara Zimmerman and Stephen Segal
RBC — Aaron Martyniw, Vice President Commercial Financial Services
Rob Dalgliesh and Daniel Friedman
$500-$999
Sid Halpern
Sean Shore
Up To $500
Evan & Audra Roitenberg
Thank you to everyone who donated through the Kaufman Silverberg Resource Centre and Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education’s tribute card programs.
Celebrating Milestone: Creating Memories
Thank you to the following families for supporting the Celebrating Milestones: Creating Memories program in support of grade-level milestone programs.
Grade 1 Chaggigat Ha-Siddur: Contributions Towards Student Siddurim
Iona Gruskin and Alex Krozkin
Candice and Marshall Tenenbein
Grade 2 Chaggigat Ha-Torah: Contributions Towards Student Torot and Reception
Cheryl and Alon Altman
Cindy Lazar and Joel Kay
Carly Shuler and Shane Kozlowich
Allison and Jonathan Strauss
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Grade 3 Imaginary Trip to Israel: Contributions Towards the Program
Ginna Sapozhnik and Evan Himmelstein
Lynne Kohm and Michael Salman
Mara and Shane Silver
Candice and Marshall Tenenbein
Grade 6 Celebration: Contributions Towards Student Tzedakah Boxes and Reception
Sheri Winters and Bruce Caplan
Rana and Morris Shenkarow
Sam Vickar
We apologize for any errors or omissions.
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SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS DEBATE AND PUBLIC SPEAKING: GRAY GOES TO THE WORLDS
2017-18 was a banner year for the Gray Academy Public Speaking and Debate Program. In the fall, Gray hosted the International Independent Schools Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC), one of the largest high school public speaking competitions in the world. Gray, along with co-hosts Balmoral Hall School, welcomed students from South Africa, England, Scotland, Hong Kong, Bermuda, Peru, India, and across Canada. The tournament was a qualifier for the World Individual Public Speaking and Debating Championships in Cape Town (WIPSDC).
Emily Kalo (’18) qualified for WIPSDC and placed 12th in the world.
In 2017-18, Gray Academy students participated in 18 competitions in Winnipeg and across Canada. Students travelled to St. John’s, Vancouver, Calgary, and Halifax.
RAIDERS BASKETBALL: CHAMPS AGAIN! The 2017-18 junior varsity boys basketball team won their second provincial championship title in a row. They entered the provincial tournament undefeated and never looked back. Aaron Thomas was named the provincial tournament MVP for the second straight year.
GRADES 5-8 RECEIVE THEIR OWN CHROMEBOOKS
Thanks to a generous grant from the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, the Grosberg Fund, and the support of the Gray Academy Parent Association, the school was able to purchase Chromebooks for our Grade 5-8 students. The devices enable our students to engage in new methods of learning and provides them with the digital literacy tools to be successful today and in the future. Along with Chomebooks for Grades 5-8, younger grades received tablets and Chromebooks to share in the classroom.
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SAY GOODBYE TO COMPUTER LABS; SAY HELLO TO THE WELLNESS STUDIO!
Now that all of students have access to computers in their classrooms, we no longer had a need for our computer labs. The upstairs lab was converted into a multimedia studio complete with a green screen and the school’s iMacs for video editing and use by our film class. The downstairs lab was completely converted to a whole new space. The Wellness Studio is a room that hosted a variety of events over the course of the year. Its primary purpose is to be a multi-use space to house information sessions, staff meetings, parent-teacher conference lounge, grade gatherings, specialized phys-ed classes, dance, and more. Our second floor thin client lab is now a new high school student lounge.
MEET THE NEW GRAY ACADEMY PARENT ASSOCIATION
2017-18 was the first year of the new Gray Academy Parent Association (GAPA), previously known as the PAC. The name change invigorated the association and also came with new leadership. Mira Narvey stepped up to be the President with Jen Dimerman assuming the role of Vice President. We thank GAPA for the role they play in our school community.
INTRODUCING PARENT AND STUDENT AMBASSADORS
2017-18 was the pilot year for Gray Academy’s Student Ambassador Program. 45 students from Grades 7 to 12 volunteered to be a part of this exciting initiative. Over the course of their year-long training, ambassadors learned how to be effective tour guides for both the elementary and high school. They enthusiastically took part in recruitment events within the school and in the community. A special thank you to Gray Academy parent Courtney Feldman (owner of High Style Impression Management) who designed unique opportunities for our ambassadors to present themselves with poise and confidence, and to develop their networking skills.
Complementing the Student Ambassador program was our Parent Ambassador Program. In 2017-18, over 30 Gray Academy parents brought prospective parents to the attention of the 2017-18
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Admissions Director, networked with them at recruitment events, and followed up after tours and Open Houses. We’re fortunate to have so many families to support our recruitment efforts! Thank you, Parent Ambassadors!
MAZEL TOV TO OUR FACULTY! This year, we celebrated a number of milestones for a few members of our staff. Maureen Pollock celebrated 25 years as a teacher with the WBJE. At the annual Jewish Federation of Winnipeg Kavod evening, Silvina Mohadeb was awarded the Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. At the same evening, High School Guidance Counsellor, Lindsey Leipsic, received the Harry Silverberg Young Leadership Award for her involvement as chair of the Jewish Federation’s YAD division.
GOOD LUCK!
We also said farewell to four teachers that retired at the end of the school year. Judy Doctoroff, Madame Bev Rosenstock, Clara Roy, and Nancy Glinter. They all put in countless hours, days, months, and years preparing our students for their next stages of life. They are a dedicated bunch and have been strong examples to the rest of our staff on how to be great teachers. We wish them well on their retirements.
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GRAY ACADEMY MISSION AND VISION Mission Statement Gray Academy prepares students to reach their full potential as empowered global citizens by providing educational excellence framed by Jewish identity, community and values.
Vision Statement To provide an education environment of academic excellence, strong Jewish values, spiritual and physical wellness, and proud global citizenship.
Our Beliefs and Values •
Respect
•
Tolerance/Compassion
•
Diversity
•
Leadership
•
Community
Our Commitments •
Academic Excellence
•
A Community School
•
Jewish Identity
•
Future Leadership
•
Healthy Living
•
Israel
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